OBJECTIVE To provide primary care physicians with evidence-based information and advice on the management of at-risk drinking and alcohol use disorder (AUD). SOURCES OF INFORMATION We conducted a nonsystematic literature review using search terms that included primary care; screening, interventions, management, and treatment; and at-risk drinking, alcohol use disorders, alcohol dependence, an...

BACKGROUND Regular intake of medicines prevents hospitalization and improves treatment outcomes in patients with chronic diseases; however, requires good patient-physician communication. Yet, this communication is often insufficient and characterized by misunderstandings. This paper aimed to explore whether a training session on medication counseling for general practitioners (GPs) can improve ...

News stories of gun violence have ignited the debate about what public health measures are appropriate for reducing the epidemic of gun injury and death. Although critics of stricter gun policies cite data showing stable rates of gun-related homicide over the past decade, these statistics ignore the increased rate of shootings and that improved trauma care has stabilized the death rate.1 With t...

Background Cancer survivors rate fertility as one of the most important determinants of their quality of life in the years after cancer treatment. We seek to describe the reproductive goals of women affected by gynecologic cancers and investigate their specific challenges during fertility preservation (FP) counseling. Methods Univariate & multivariate logistic regression were used for quantit...

BACKGROUND A crucial element in controlling blood pressure is non-pharmaceutical treatment. However, only a few studies specifically address the question of hypertensive patients' compliance with physicians' recommendations for a healthy lifestyle. OBJECTIVES To explore factors associated with hypertensive patients' compliance with lifestyle recommendations regarding physical activity, smokin...

Diabetes mellitus is a major public health concern for the U.S. population because of its high prevalence and long-term health implications. The purpose of this study was to apply the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to assess dental faculty member and student willingness to provide diabetes education and counseling to patients in a dental school. A survey was administered to dental students (n...

INTRODUCTION A qualitative study was conducted to determine preferred smoking cessation methods among Asian or Pacific Islander (API) smokers who live with hospitalized children. This study occurred in a children's hospital where a new cessation program would be developed. METHODS Twenty-six API smokers who live with children admitted to the hospital were interviewed and tape-recorded. Respon...

INTRODUCTION Emergency department (ED) screening and counseling for alcohol misuse have been shown to reduce at-risk drinking. However, barriers to more widespread adoption of this service remain unclear. METHODS We performed a secondary analysis of a nationwide survey of 277 EDs to determine the proportion of EDs that routinely perform alcohol screening and counseling among patients presenti...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to compare physician encounter documentation with patient perceptions of quality of epilepsy care and examine the association between quality and patient assessment of provider communication. METHODS We identified 505 adult patients with epilepsy aged 18years or older over a 3-year period in two large academic medical centers. We abstracted individual, clin...